The Forgotten
by Meine
Summary: Going back in time was one thing, but going back in time and not knowing why you were there was a whole new story.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

If there was one thing he hated, it was noise.

It prevented him from doing anything productive and sometimes it even managed to give him a headache of some sort.

Today happened to be one of those days.

It had been two days since the term started and everyone was happily chatting away to one another and being unnecessarily loud. Particularly those from the Gryffindor table.

The Slytherins at his table were slightly more tolerable- they at least knew their boundaries and made sure they never fell out of place. Even the newly sorted Slytherins knew when they stepped out of line although some of them still needed a reminder. But even then, that still didn't mean they wouldn't shut the hell up when he wanted them to. The only thing preventing them from talking any more than needed was the food they were quickly gorging down.

"So Tom," he looked ahead to find the blond idly tracing the rim of his cup, "how does it feel to be head boy? I'm sure even with all the responsibilities laid on you, there's still some glamour to it."

He forced himself to smile. "Yes, it's true that being head boy comes with a great deal of work and it can sometimes be a bit hard to handle, but it becomes easily manageable after a short period of time."

He resisted the urge to rub his temples to ease the pain.

His headache was getting worse.

And the old man tapping his spoon against the damn cup wasn't helping either.

The crowd silenced as Armando Dippet demanded their attention.

As he rose from his chair, Tom could feel the pain worsening. "My dear students, I would like to once again welcome you all to Hogwarts. Today has been your second day…"

He couldn't focus.

The original twinge of pain he previously had had now become a throbbing one- as though each beat his heart made was amplified as the blood travelled to his brain and it seemed that the harder he tried to pay attention, something was trying just as hard to distract him.

Everything was beginning to slip out of focus and the only thing he could hear was the muffled beat of his own heart. Or what he thought was his own heart. He wasn't too sure what was happening, but he swore that he could hear another faint heart beat gradually becoming louder and louder.

He barely noticed how his body swayed as the world started to fog over. He barely noticed the questioning concern of the person beside him. He barely noticed that everything was about to fade black, until a light suddenly started to permeate through the darkness.

The dark faded to light.

The fog cleared and as he started to regain his sight, Tom saw the questioning looks he was receiving from the surrounding Slytherins.

The sound of heartbeats disappeared and all he could hear was the voice of the headmaster echoing in the great hall.

Tom barely had time to register what had just taken place for just as silence began to fall, it was shattered by the deafening sound of fragmenting glass as something flew across the hall.

Time suddenly slowed down.

He ignored the screams that filled the air.

He ignored the panic that took control of each individual present, not aware that his heart was one among those that were racing.

He focused on what was important and that was the object flying towards the table of Ravenclaws. But as he took a closer look, Tom saw that it wasn't an object- rather it was a body.

He watched as it collided with the table, knocking off the food and drinks that they had just finished eating. As it slid further and further down, it eventually slowed to a complete halt.

And the last things Tom saw were the dark brown eyes of a girl devoid of life.

**Author's Note: **Starting a new story was probably not a good idea for me.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

She had forgotten what it was like to wake up in a bed- to have the satisfaction of knowing that she'd be safe within the boundaries of a bed with a blanket to keep her warm was something foreign to her though she didn't understand why.

As her eyes opened to the sight of a white washed ceiling, a strange feeling of relief washed over her but at the same time it irked her for it was like she was expecting to see something else there.

The musty smell of the room was oddly refreshing and it gave her a feeling of cleanliness as it also had the faint smell of sterilizing alcohol in the air.

Taking a deep breath, she winced at the sudden stab of pain in her ribs.

Her body was aching all over, her limbs felt as heavy as lead, and her insides felt like they just went through a grinding machine.

It hurt like hell.

She thought it was best to take it one step at a time- to slowly gain control of her body as she tried to overcome the obvious pain she'd experience from the sudden movements she was about to make. But panic took over her senses when she found that she couldn't move.

Something was keeping her down and she didn't like it. It felt like she was held as some sort of prisoner who had to be restrained to prevent any attempt of escape.

As she made a futile attempt to struggle against the invisible force that was detaining her, she heard a voice by her bed.

"Ah, I believe our young guest has awakened." She could hear a chair scraping against the floor. "If you please, Phoebus, bring the matron here to assess her."

Knowing it was a waste of energy to try turning her head, she moved her eyes around until it found someone dressed in a large blue robe that was lined with gold. His white hair was rather long and when he turned to face her, she saw that he had a short white beard that blended with it.

Seeing the panic in her eyes, he gave her a kind knowing smile. "I am truly sorry, my dear child, for having to restrain you in such a way. As uncomfortable as it is, it was needed to prevent you from moving around during the procedure."

He walked closer until his entire upper body was in full view and she watched as the smile on his face disappeared. "You see, when you arrived here at Hogwarts you were in a state of critical condition and needed to be attended to immediately."

He paused, careful in choosing his next words." Unfortunately, even with the combined skills of our most skilled professors we weren't able to keep you here for very long."

At the sound of haste footsteps she watched him turn, not seeing a calm mask replace his previously perturbed one.

"Good morning Madam Tugwood. I'm sorry to have taken you away from your patient but as you can see, this one is in greater need of attention."

She dismissed him with a wave of her hand, muttering something about 'Abraxas', 'quidditch', and 'those blasted nimrods' before proceeding to examine the girl in bed. Pulling out her wand, she placed its tip onto the girl's chest.

A faint glow emanated from the wand and at first there was a look of alarm etched on the matron's face, but as each second passed by her features softened until the woman actually sighed in relief.

"She's doing a lot better than expected." She started. "Her bones seemed to have mended quite well and her muscles have only a few large tears. Her major organs are also in the process of repair, so it may cause a bit of pain- especially when she's under a lot of physical stress."

Removing her wand, she faced the man in blue. "She'll be fine though in a bit of a delicate state. I have something that could help with the pain, but the rest is up to her."

She looked down at the girl, strands of gray hair falling from the downward movement of her head. "I'll go and get some medicine for you. Please try not to move around too much, it may reopen some wounds you received from your impact with the table."

As she turned to leave, a great weight seemed to have been removed allowing the girl to move- though with a great deal of difficulty.

A pain seared through her arm as she tried to push herself upright. She made a small whimper when her body gave out and fell back onto the bed.

Alarmed, the man in blue rushed to her side only to have his help turned down.

She wanted to do it herself, as though she was trying to prove something to someone, and he was forced to watch again and again as she tried to pick herself up.

It was like trying to raise a ton of lead with nothing but sticks, her weight was too much to bear and for the first time in a long time, she wondered how much she really weighed.

"You're trembling" he said, peering at her hand.

She didn't seem to have heard him.

And if she did, she was probably just ignoring him.

Clenching her hand, she pushed herself up- ignoring the pain that resonated through her body. She could definitely do it; all she had to do was not take the discouragements to heart. If she let it get to her, then there was a higher chance of failure, and failure was not allowed- not tolerated.

Failure meant weakness.

The arm that supported her body threatened to collapse and it was when she began to sway did she feel a hand gently push her back up.

Looking at him, she gave a small reluctant smile.

Maybe next time.

As he made his way around to another man who stood at the foot of her bed, she looked around in hopes of avoiding the scrutiny of his gaze.

There were rows of beds, all empty except for maybe one or two, covered in clean bed sheets. It may have been a shade or two brighter than the white walls, which were far whiter than the last time she was here. The light that spilled into the room also cast its magic over the vast forests that surrounded the area.

It was...nostalgic.

"Enjoying the view?"

She turned to find the man from before gone.

"Phoebus had several things to attend to." He said when he saw her questioning look, "He will be rather busy- there seems to be some problem amongst the Gryffinor and Slytherin quidditch players."

She nodded at this, ignoring the stinging feeling she was getting in her neck.

He made his way, once again, around her bed before taking his place on the chair next to her.

"Well, now that we're on the subject I believe it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves. I am Armando Dippet, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To whom do I have the honor of meeting?"

She bit her lip, hesitating before whispering, "Hermione."

Dippet gave her a gentle smile. "Like the daughter of Menelaus and Helen of Troy- a very lovely and suiting name for such a young lady, though I am sure you also have a surname that came along with it. "

She opened her mouth, but a word never left.

Frowning, she tried once more to tell him her name, only to find that she didn't have a name to give.

Who was she?

She thought back to all the possible names that could potentially fit hers: Clearwater, Abbott, Beery, Mallard…

"Hermione."

By impulse, she looked up.

"It's understandable if you don't remember many things. Try not to put too much thought into it now for there will be more time later for you to think things over."

"_How_?" she rasped, trying to hide the distress. She had all her life to get comfortable with herself, to build herself up. How could she just suddenly not know who she was?

He kept his calm facade. "I am sorry Hermione, I truly am. There are some things in the world that are not meant to be told until the right moment."

He sighed. "I know you have many questions you would like to ask, but as of this moment you must rest. I will answer any questions you ask at a later time. All I will tell you is that when you first arrived here, you had a bit of a head trauma."

He didn't have to tell her anymore. That alone was enough to tell her that any memory she once had in her mind was now gone. It explained everything really. Her mind was basically a slab of Swiss cheese, it was full of holes- incomplete. There was no way of telling who she was, why she was there, or what had happened before her incident. Whenever she tried to think back, she ended up getting a headache.

She kept telling herself it was because of the head trauma.

A shuffling noise caught her attention. "I'm sorry I cannot stay longer. Again, I am sure you must have many more questions and I can assure you they will be answered in due time, but I have other pressing matters to attend to. I will make sure someone comes for you so we can make other arrangements in terms of accommodation but before I leave, I believe this belongs to you."

Hermione watched him as he placed a small purple handbag on the table to her side and before he could leave she clutched his sleeve.

"Sir," she tried hard to hide the waver in her voice, "what will happen to me?"

He turned to her. "Now, whatever do you mean by that?"

"When they come-"she swallowed, "the aurors."

There was no use hiding it. She knew they would come to investigate even though there wasn't any evidence of dark magic having been used and when they did she had a feeling that she would have to leave- escape before anything happened.

It was a strange feeling to have, the anxiety. Hermione knew that they were meant to protect them from those who practiced dark magic and although the aurors would probably do nothing more than ask some questions, she felt like there was something bigger she wasn't aware of.

He paused- thinking this over. "Well, I suppose that when they come they would like to ask you some things about the sudden turn of events here although that may be problematic if they were to anytime soon."

"But sir," Hermione said in a panic, "when they come, you'll _have_ to hand me over to them. Otherwise, they will accuse you of sheltering a potential criminal behind school walls and putting the lives of other students at risk!"

She panted lightly, out of breath from the mouthful of words that came spewing out of her. It was a bad habit she had- whenever there was something she wanted to bring attention to, no matter how unpleasant it may be, she'd just take one huge breath and hope it was enough before she passed out from a lack of air.

Dippet smiled at her. "I highly doubt that a student here at Hogwarts has the time to be a criminal with all the work they will have as the school year progresses."

He turned again to leave, but she tugged on his sleeve one last time.

She looked away, flustered. "I'm sorry sir, I won't keep you here much longer, it's just…there was something that's been bugging me- from before that is."

Hermione was hesitant at first, torn between curiosity and fear. The line had been playing over and over again like a scratched CD and she didn't know whether or not she wanted to hear the answer.

"What exactly did you mean…when you said that you couldn't keep me here for long?"

Dippet eyed her warily and in the back of her mind, Hermione kind of knew what he would say.

She just wished for the first time in her life that she was wrong.

"Hermione, with the damage your body took from the collision no one should have survived. Yes, you were in a critical state when we first admit you into the hospital wing and we did everything we could to mend your injuries- but even with our most skilled professors you still slipped away from us."

He stepped back, slipping out of her grasp.

"My child, what happened to you was a miracle. No one here, in the history of Hogwarts, has ever been able to cheat death as you have."

Giving her one final nod, Dippet turned to leave her to her thoughts.

**Author's Note: **This chapter was a lot shorter than I hoped, but I'll make sure the next few are longer. Thank you Cassia4u and gleeislove for the encouraging comments =) I'll definitely try to finish this story!


	3. Chapter Two

Somebody once taught her that it was okay to break the rules now and then even if it meant getting one step farther in whatever it was she had to do. Although she didn't remember exactly who it was that taught her that, she decided it was a good habit to take up once in a while.

Rather than staying in the hospital wing as she was asked, Hermione found herself sitting there on the moist ground looking across the rippling waters of the lake.

It was supposed to help clear her mind, but being alone just meant no distractions.

Replaying the scene in her head, Hermione could feel her heart sink each time she heard him talk about the accident. To think that she actually did die at one point was hard enough to fathom, but what terrified her most was the fact that nothing happened after her death.

There was no white light or waiting line for judgment. There was just a darkness that surrounded her no matter which direction she turned- it was like being stuck in a dreamless sleep with no hope of waking up.

And that voice.

Someone was calling her.

A woman.

She leaned back, feeling her hand brush against a rough fabric and looked down at the small handbag she was given earlier at the wing.

It was a faded shade of lavender meaning that wherever she came from- she left a long time ago. Or maybe she just had it for a really long time. It was worn out and had a lot of dirt staining it, so she probably did a lot of traveling though where and with whom she was traveling with she did not know. There was always the option of opening it- maybe there was something in there that would give her some sort of hint in terms of who she was.

But did she really want to know?

A drop of rain fell on her nose and Hermione looked up into the shrouded sky.

It was beginning to rain.

Hoisting herself up, Hermione took the pouch that lay on the ground and made her way to the school. There was no rush. The rain provided her with a sense of comfort as it poured down from the clouds above- it was as though the sky knew and mourned for her.

Not that that was making it any better for her.

The light taps of her feet echoed through the desolate halls as she walked up the stairs into the school. Classes would be over soon and once the halls flooded with a sea of black, she'd stick out like a sore thumb in her rundown pink hoodie and black jeans.

She needed to hide and maintain a low profile for now until she could come up with some other plan.

What plan?

No- Hermione shook her head violently. It sounded ridiculous to her; she made it sound as though she was on the run from someone or something. This was_ Hogwarts _she was talking about here.

There really wasn't any place safer.

At least that's what she kept telling herself. Why couldn't she just accept it? No place like home, no place like home—it became a mantra of the sorts for her. Well, not home per se but if she could just accept the fact maybe she could trick her brain into persuading her body that she really was safe.

Safe safe safe. That became a mantra too.

The sound of the rain pelting down echoed in the hall, trying to drown out the sounds of her feet tapping against the floors as she walked to no place in particular. As long as she veered clear of any open windows and doors, she'd be safe.

Safe.

A sharp breathe of air shot out of her as she huffed in frustration. Again with that word! Why couldn't her brain just accept it and leave her be already? She was already having enough problems with the fact that she had no memories and all, but she really didn't need this sense of insecurity fighting for control either. It was making her questions things—everything. The people around her, the school, hell she even began doubting whether this was all real! Weren't the senses enough?

She could smell the rain, feel the bricks of the school walls as she ran her fingers against them, see the sky clouding over, hear the voices streaming through her head…

She held her head in her hands—and the voices. They wouldn't stop. They kept whispering things she couldn't hear, couldn't make out. Why? Why are there voices? It wasn't even just the one, there were many so many voices crammed in her head she had no idea which one to focus on.

Her legs went ahead of her, and before she knew it she was running. Running away. Running away from all this. This couldn't be real, it was all just too real. It needed to stop. She didn't care where she went as long as she went away from here. All of here. This was just getting way out of hand, and if there was one thing she loathed it was the fact that she was beginning to lose control.

She needed to know what was happening. To know the whys and hows. Maybe if she knew, she could rest. But was that possible? What if they made more questions pop up? What if it was something she didn't want to hear?

She kept running. Running away, from all of this, and before she knew it she found herself standing in front of a massive black gate. She hadn't even realized that she was back out in the rain, getting herself soaked enough for her to feel like she was wrapped in a blanket that was doused in water. She reached out for the bars, feeling the cold metallic feel of the gate that held her in, that held them all in, and kept whatever was out there out. She was pretty sure these gates were charmed with something, but assuming it actually was charmed, it didn't do anything to her. But if she were on the other side of the gate, would it have done something? Would it have killed her? Stun her? Curse her?

The only way to find out would be to climb over and test it out herself, but she was just far too tired. Not just tired, exhausted. Waking up in the hospital wing seemed to just to drain her of everything, and she wondered if she should have just dosed off some more. Being conscious seemed to take a lot more effort than sleeping, so maybe she could ask for some sleeping charm to be cast on her she could sleep the rest of the day away. Maybe even the rest of the school year?

Ha, imagine that. Hermione Granger, school enthusiast, wanting to miss school. For some reason, she had a feeling that someone out there would be mortified at that idea.

_Really 'Mione you should just give it a rest. Before you know it, that head of yours is going to be heavier than your body!_

She leaned her head against the bars, poking her nose through the gaps between. Rain, wet ground, and…metal. Butterflies filled her stomach as the blood rushed to her head, forcing Hermione onto her knees and away from the gate.

_It's just a gate, it's just a gate, it's just a gate…_

She wrapped her arms around herself, unable to control the shivering. Or was it trembling? It didn't matter because whatever just happened, it couldn't stop her body from uncontrollably shaking. A weak laugh escaped her lips.

She got scared and lost control of herself because of a bloody gate, how pathetic was that? Hermione raised her head up into the sky, letting the rain cascade down her face.

_Pretty pathetic Hermione, pretty damn pathetic._

* * *

><p>When the last of the students disappeared from the hallways, Hermione stepped out of the bushes as the last of the dark robes disappeared in the corner. With a final slam of the doors, she walked out into the open once again. It was pouring now, so when she stepped beneath the school roofs, she could only feel the cool breeze of the wind freeze over her.<p>

Rubbing her soaked arms, Hermione decided it was best to look for some shelter from the cold and proceeded to press her ear against doors to see whether there was a class going on or not. After several doors, she eventually found herself inside the Hogwarts itself. The halls, like the ones outside, were empty leaving no other sound but the now slow movements of her feet.

She kept walking, ignoring the moving pictures of the white stone walls, and focused on trying to find someplace to hide for a bit for the rest of the day. The hospital wing wasn't a bad place to go back to, but for some it felt like the place was trying to repel her—to keep her away, which she gladly complied with. Besides, she'd rather spend as much time away from the place she literally _died_ in anyways. It was for the best really.

She marched onwards, but then stopped a bit and back tracked until she stopped. There in the wall, was a massive statue taking up a good deal of space in the wall. Instinctively, she inched towards it to get a closer look. The statue was of a bird—maybe an eagle? She wasn't quite sure, but its wings were held up in the air as though trying to cloak itself from something. Light shone down on its tilted head, basking the entire thing in some sort of unspoken glory.

A small frown marred her features as she gave it more inspection. There was something…familiar about this bird. Like she saw it somewhere before.

But where?

Taking another step closer, she took in all the details that were etched into this piece and before she could stop herself Hermione heard her mouth move in a whisper.

"Fawkes."

She jumped a bit when the statue began to move, slowly rising in a spinning motion as it revealed a flight of staircases. Curiosity now getting the best of her, Hermione looked around first before making her way up. There were no decorations on her way up, and when she made it to the stop Hermione whipped around, startled, as the stairway began to close off.

Nothing she could do now but move ahead. She peered around the room, taking in every detail illuminated by the light shining in from the outside. Books, books, and more books. And a table. That was cluttered with more books.

There was probably more of course, but something caught Hermione's eye when she glanced to the side of the table: another table—smaller though. And it had what seemed like a nest on it.

She hesitated.

To look or not to look?

But curiosity, once again, gnawed at her and she decided it wouldn't be such a bad idea to just take a small peek. Walking towards it, Hermione glanced down into the nest and froze.

A small bird, covered in fiery colored feathers, laid there dozing. Its small fluffy feathers poked out from everywhere as though it was just recently born into the world. Hermione watched the rise and fall of its chest as it breathed away, oblivious to everything around it.

"Isn't he wonderful?"

Whipping around, Hermione instinctively drew her wand at the intruder. He was taller than her and much older too. His age was showing in the small wrinkles that formed on his face and his hair and beard seemed to begin graying. It still had some color left, but Hermione guessed that in a few years it would all be gone. His robe matched the hat on his head, but what disturbed Hermione was is strikingly blue eyes. There was something about him…no. No, maybe it was just her. Her hand began to quake again.

"I see you're quite alert of your surroundings Miss Granger, but that won't be necessary here. I can assure you that I won't attempt to bring you to any sort of harm."

"How do I know that?" She blurted out and immediately berated herself for asking such an absurd question. He was a _teacher _here at Hogwarts she told herself and getting defensive around them was probably not the best thing to do here.

He smiled at her, an action that for some apparent reason stung Hermione. "I have not drawn my wand." She glanced at his hands and indeed found them without a weapon.

"I—sorry—I—wait what did you call me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier, what did you say?" She paused, "'Granger'. You said 'Granger'. Is that my name?"

Another smile. "Yes. Yes I did Miss Granger. I'd tell you more, but I think it would be best to discuss this when I'm not in so much danger."

Realizing that she was still holding her wand, Hermione flushed before quickly pocketing it as he made his way around to his table. Opening a drawer, she watched him pull out a ripped envelope.

"Your acceptance letter to Hogwarts, Miss Granger. Unfortunately, all we could salvage from it was your name and year. The rest seems to have been washed away during your little trip here."

So in other words, it was useless to her. There wasn't even an address there? Hermione stared hard at the letter, before he put it stored it back into the drawer.

"I'm sorry Miss Granger, I truly am. But until further notice that is all we know about you. We will be conducting further investigations for the time being on you and anything else that may have happened to you before your arrival here. In the meantime, I suggest you spend your time here adjusting."

Well that was…a start. She'd rather much know everything now, but taking into consideration the circumstances Hermione had no choice but to wait. Unknowingly, she turned her gaze to the bird on his right, once again watching the bird's small breaths.

"Isn't he a delight? I seems that my little secret is out, though I suppose I wouldn't mind if you knew, but that now brings about the question as to how you got up here to begin with."

She bit her lip. "I'm…not quite sure myself sir. I just…did."

He stared at her for a bit, making her shift around uncomfortably, before giving her a nod. "The world is full of mysteries and some of it is not meant to be understood I suppose…Ah, Minerva I'm glad you made it."

Turning, she saw another girl come from the stairwell towards them. Her dark hair was pinned up in a rather proper manner, reminding Hermione of a royal lady. As she came nearer, she watched this 'Minerva' quickly glance at her before flickering back to the man. "Sorry for coming a bit late Professor, but I got a bit held up."

"That's quite alright, there's no hurry really. I was just about to discuss with Miss Granger here about her accommodations."

The two focused on him, but Hermione was pretty sure the girl was watching her with as much care as Hermione was watching her.

"Accommodations?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," he pulled out a small orange and red pin from his drawer, "as a student of Hogwarts, you must have some sort of living area for the duration of the school year…and I must have forgotten to mention earlier that you have apparently already been sorted before . Gryffindor." He said with a smile.

"Since Minerva here happened to be part of the house, I thought it best for you to get acquainted with our Head Girl first."

As though on cue, she turned to Hermione and flashed her a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you Hermione. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Hermione mustered her best smile. "I'll make sure to find you first."

He spoke again. "Excellent! Now then, would you mind escorting her to the dorms Minerva?"

"Not at all."

"Until next time Miss Granger."

"Yes Professor…"

"Dumbledore."

Her heart sped up as her body froze. She eyed him warily, taking in that placid face that seemed take this situation a little too lightly, and it was until she heard faint 'Hermione?' did she slowly turn away to follow Minerva out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Eesh, it's been a long time since the last update. Sorry about that :/ Ummm what else to say about this? Not too sure other than sorry if there were any mistakes and ooc-ness(if there is any, but hopefully not?).


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